Cutty Sark

On the 16th of January 1920 prohibition came into effect in America, making it illegal to sell or manufacture alcohol. Of course, this lead to huge profits for those willing to take the risk and smuggle and distribute alcohol illegally - one such risk taker, was Captain Bill McCoy who took great pride in dealing only with the finest, high quality liquor.

Meanwhile on the 23rd of March 1923,over the pond in Scotland, partners Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd, of Berry Bros. & Rudd, were coming up with a new style of blended whisky targeted at the American market – a lighter more accessible whisky. Taking its name from a ship that had recently retired to England for naval training, Cutty Sark blended Scotch whisky was born.

The high quality nature of Cutty Sark whisky naturally caught the eye of one Captain Bill McCoy, who had been building quite the reputation for himself - not to mention profit- smuggling and distributing top class whisky throughout the US.

Unbeknown to Berry Bros. & Rudd, their beloved Cutty Sark was about to become a sensation in the US.

In 1933 prohibition in America was repealed and due to the market and demand for their whisky established by Captain Bill McCoy, sales rocketed. Over the subsequent years following the repeal of prohibition, Cutty Sark grew exponentially. By 1961 the brand was the bestselling blended Scotch whisky in the whole of the USA, becoming the first whisky to sell one million cases in the USA.

Cutty Sark has since remained a prominent part of American culture having featured and been referenced in many acclaimed films such a Martin Scorsese’ Academy Award winning epics, Raging Bull and Goodfellas; as well as top US television drama series, The Sopranos and Mad Men.

In 2003 Cutty Sark 25 year old was announced winner of Whisky Magazine’s Best Blended Scotch category.

In 2013, Cutty Sark celebrated 90 years since it first launched in the USA, in the same year it launched a special prohibition release to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the 18th Amendment; an event that put Cutty Sark on the map!